Mom's the Word
by statkika12
Summary: H4H's new clients could make for an interesting reunion, especially for Kit.
1. Introduction

"Just hurry 'em up and get dem tickets, okay, Frank?" Stanley, the grizzly, told his manager as he still was massaging his muscles after his workout. "The fight's on Friday but I wanna get there early to check out their ring."

"Yes . . . yes, sir." Frank, a timid little finch responded as he entered Stanley's gym. "Actually . . . if you'd like, we can fly there tomorrow; I found this cargo plane . . . "

"Cargo plane?" Stanley gruffly interrupted the small bird. "What's you take me for?"

"Oh, but it's a nice plane, part of this new company, Higher for Higher. I think you'll like it, sir." Frank quickly answered.

"You don't say, eh? Well, okay then." The giant grizzly finally relented. "Babe! Start packin'. We're goin' to Las Vipers tomorrow to check out the ring!"

"We are? Well, alright then, hon." Tina, a petite, pretty brown bearess answered as she also entered the gym.

"Babe! Come here!" Stanley next commanded. "I need my good luck charm to give me some sugar." He said as he wrapped his large arm around his wife's waist. Tina gave him a quick peck on the check before trying in vain to free herself from Stanley's embrace.

"Okay then. I'm going to go start packing now." Tina said, just hoping Stanley would get the hint and let her go. For Stanley, Tina was a trophy wife and for Tina, Stanley was security. Although the marriage was not an ideal one for her, she was quite comfortable with all that it entailed. She would be happier, however, if she could only tell Stanley about the son she had given up so many years ago and perhaps even have him help her find the boy. Alas, she knew that Stanley wasn't exactly crazy about kids and much less ready to be a father due to the demanding schedule of being a boxer. So she had to keep her secret a bit longer at least.

When Stanley finally did let her go, Tina next excused herself and started preparing for the next day.

The next day, Stanley and Tina, accompanied by Frank, headed to Higher For Higher. Frank struggled with the couple's luggage until Stanley crept up behind Frank and lifted the two heavy suitcases as if they were feathers. "There you go. That's how ya do it!" He remarked with a taunting laugh.

The three of them were soon graciously greeted by Rebecca Cunningham. "Good morning and thank you for choosing HIgher for Higher. We are glad to assist you with your travel needs."

"Yeah, yeah, so when are we leavin'?" Stanley replied with an obvious impatience in his tone.

"Very soon, I hope." Rebecca answered. "Right after my pilot and his navigator return from this last delivery . . . err, flight of theirs." Rebecca subsequently hurried to her desk to call the Sea Duck from her radio. "Baloo, what's taking so long? Mr. and Mrs. Steele are already here ready to go to Las Vipers!" "Relax, Beckers, we'll be there in a jiff." The voice over the radio responded.

Another twenty minutes have gone by below, Baloo arrived at the H4H office. "Okay, Beckers, we're here! So where are these fancy pants clients that we're taken to the snake city?"

Just then, Stanley stood up and walked over to Baloo, towering the gray bear. "Finally! About time!" he huffed. "So when do we board?" "Woah, there, big guy!" Baloo responded, certainly in awe of Stanley's great stature. "We'll be up in the air before you know it! So I hear you have a fight coming up Friday, eh?"

"Yeah! Just want to check out the city first, maybe psyche out some opponents who are there already too, you know what I'm sayin'?" Stanley answered as he started flexing his biceps.

At that moment, Kit walked only . . . only to stop in his tracks as soon. "My gosh. It's her." He quietly said to himself as soon as he saw Tina.

"And this here is our navigator, Kit Cloudkicker." Rebecca announced, introducing Kit to everyone.

"Wait, this little runt is gonna navigate our plane?" Stanley remarked mockingly.

"Hey! Watch it, buddy! This here kid is the best navigator I ever had and no one talks to my lil bridges that way!" Baloo angrily responded, almost forgetting that the prize fighter was twice his size.

"Baloo, I really need to see you in the storage room now." Kit finally said, trying to compose his thoughts.

"Oh, well, Kit, I'm sorry but the Steeles really have to get to Vipers now." Rebecca interceded. "Can't this wait . . . "

"No, it can't, Miz. Cunningham." Kit persisted. "Please, just a few minutes."

"Oh, alright." Rebecca finally agreed. "I'll have Wildcat load their luggage on the plane in the meantime. But please hurry up."

In the storage room, Kit started looking through his bottom drawer, while Baloo looked bemused. "What's all this about, lil britches?"

Finally finding what he was looking for – a black and white photograph of a young woman – he said nothing but handed it to Baloo. "It's her, my mom." He then said in a lowered tone.

Baloo said nothing but stood there frozen, just looking at the picture. The silence in the air was just broken moments later when Rebecca entered the room. "Baloo! Kit! What's going on? Mr. Steele is growing very impatient and we really need to be up in the air A.S.A.P.!" She crossly said.

"Beckers! Look at this. It's a picture of Kit's mom." Baloo finally answered, handing the photograph over to Rebecca. Upon inspecting the picture, Rebecca too became quite stunned and turned pale as a ghost, in fact. She immediatey recognized that woman as Tina, just standing a few feet away in her office.


	2. The Back Story

"What's going on in there? When are we going to finally lift off?" Stanley asked Baloo, visibly agitated. After discovering the truth about Tina, Rebecca had Baloo take Stanley out to board the plane, while she gathered Kit and Tina to her office so they could talk.

Stanley then saw Tina and Kit talking together through a window which obviously peaked his interest. "Hey, what's my wife doing talking to your boy?" he asked as he turned to Baloo.

"Oh, I'm . . . I'm sure it's nothing. Why don't you get on a plane and we'll take off soon." Baloo replied.

"A'right. My wife should be coming soon anyway." Stanley responded and was just about to board when Tina finally came out. "Babe! Come on! I almost left without ya!" he shouted to her.

"Well . . . well, maybe that's for the best." Tina began. "You see, I'm . . . erm . . . starting to feel under the weather and am afraid that I can't make the trip today."

"What?" Stanley remarked, his eyes widening.

"But I'll be there for your fight Friday, of course. I promise!" Tina quickly added. "Baloo will take me there Friday, won't you, Mr. Baloo?"

"Yes, of course, I will, Mrs. Steele." Baloo quickly answered.

Stanley looked obviously disappointed. "Well, a'right. See you Friday then." he finally responded.

"Oh, and, um, Baloo . . . Ms. Cunningham told me to tell that Wildcat will be helping you navigate this mission." Tina said.

"That dope? I'd actually rather have the kid!" Stanley responded.

"We'll be fine, Stan. Let's just go. I've been to Las Vipers hundreds of times so I know where to go." Baloo replied, getting a bit annoyed with Stanley's mocking nature, especially when it came to his friends.

As soon as Baloo lifted off along with Wildcat, Stanley, and Frank, Tina went back into the H4H office, her eyes glistening with tears as she could no longer help herself. She knelt down as soon as she entered the office and Kit ran into her open arms, also tearing up.

Tina had Kit with a sailor who frequented the quite seedy club where she was once a dancer just at the outskirts of town. Soon after telling the sailor that she was expecting, however, he stopped coming to the club and Tina never saw him again. Obviously distraught, Tina felt she had no choice but to leave her baby boy at the local orphanage. She believed for some time that the child would have a better life there than being raised by a mother having a questionable repute.

A few years later, she met Stanley who started frequenting another club where she started working. Soon after courting, the two got married in city hall and settled in Cape Suzette where Stanley trained for his fights. At first, Tina was ecstatic to have finally settled down, thinking that she and her new husband could go back to the orphanage together and get her son. With time, however, she came to know that children were the last thing on Stanley's mind.

One day, as they were going to Stanley's ring, they passed the park where they could see a young mother have trouble trying to control her rambunctious twin boys, while also cradling a small, crying infant. "Look at those brats! So glad we don't have deal with any rugrats!" Stanley remarked.

"Oh, I don't know . . . they don't look too bad. Maybe they just did a firmer hand from their father?" Tina tried to argue. "If we ever have children, I'm sure they'll be more well-behaved." she continued with a wink.

"Nah, I'm good just with the two of us, Babe." Stanley replied. "Once I was seeing this girl and everything was swell, until she told me about her niece and nephew she was raising after

her sister and brother-in-law got into an accident. She actually thought I would marry her and help her out with the runts. Can you imagine? The nerve! Like I'd wanna deal with somebody else's runny- nosed bratty kids!"

Tina's heart sunk as soon as she heard Stanley say this. There was no way she could tell about Christopher – Kit – now. And yet she was determined to somehow get her son back. Believing that Stanley would change his mind and fall in love with her sweet little boy once he met him, Tina decided to go to the orphanage on her own to get Kit and bring him home, nevertheless.

She soon found out, however, that not too long ago, a disguised gang of air pirates broke into the orphanage and kidnapped two small boys. One boy managed to escape and return but the other did not. That boy sadly was Kit. Tina was completely devastated upon hearing the news. She knew there was no way for her to take on the air pirates alone and there was nothing much Stanley could do, even if he were aware of the situation and willing to help.

Years passed and Tina grew more and more despondent in her marriage. She acknowledged that Stanley loved her in his own way, but she also felt that he was using her to impress his managers, opponents, and the spectators. She believed that the expensive clothes and jewelry he kept buying her were not only for her but also to show everyone what a beautiful and glamorous wife he had.

She thought about leaving several times, but didn't know where to go. She really did not want to go back to dancing but she did not have any particular skills to allow her to try something else. Tina's life was definitely in a rut – until possibly this day.


	3. Facing Decisions

"Baloo." Rebecca said, gently at first in order to wake the sleeping bear. "Baloo!" she next repeated in a louder tone. Yet the ursine figure continued to do lay there and snore. "BALOO!" she finally shouted, awaking him and almost causing him to fall out of his hammock.

"Wha . . . I'm awake! I'm awake! What's up?" Baloo finally replied, still a bit startled but trying to straighten himself out.

"Those pickles to Bart's Deli won't deliver themselves." Rebecca noted, trying to compose herself as best she could.

"Okay, okay, Beckers." Baloo replied, yawning. "Just lemme get Wildcat and . . . "

"Wildcat?" Rebecca responded surprised. "Well, what about Kit?"

"Oh, Kit's out in the park with Tina again." The big gray bear answered.

"He is? And you're okay with that?" The bearess employer pressed on.

"Well, why wouldn't I be? After all, she's his mother." Baloo remarked, a bit puzzled.

"Exactly, Baloo. She's his mother. That means she can take him away anytime she wants to anywhere she wants." Rebecca noted, after which Baloo just stood there, his face instantly turning to stone. Deep down he knew that was the truth but simply did not want to face it. And he certainly did not want his annoying boss lady to point it out.

A few minutes later, he began leaving the room. "I have to go." He mumbled as he passed Rebecca.

Rebecca, realizing what she just said, tried to take it back and ease Baloo's state of mind. "Baloo . . . wait . . . I'm sorry. . . "

"Have to go!" Baloo repeated loudly. "Have to deliver those darn pickles!" And with that, he made a swift exit and slammed the door behind him.

Meanwhile, at the park, where Kit joined Tina after school, the mother and son were certainly enjoying their time together. They told each other about their own adventures while walking among the tall trees and green grass, they marveled at the works of the street artists around them, and even partook in a game of hop scotch with a group of youngsters.

As the sun was setting, Tina and Kit sat together on a park bench, just reminiscing about the events of the day. "I love you, Mama Bear." Kit whispered as he looked at Tina.

"I love you too, son." Tina softly replied. She truly did not want the day to end. As it was getting late, however, she knew that she had to take Kit back home.

When the two arrived at H4H, Molly ran up to Kit in her full Danger Woman costume. "Kit! Kit! You're finally home! I've been waiting and waiting because you said we can play superheroes before I have to go to bed. You promised!" The little girl said, looking a bit cross at Kit.

"Okay, okay, squirt. We'll play now." Kit answered with a slight grin. He next turned to Tina. "Mom, I'm going upstairs now, but I'll see you tomorrow." He said, giving her a hug.

"Alright, see you tomorrow. Love you." Tina responded and then watched as the two youngsters headed upstairs.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was just finishing a phone call she was having with Baloo. "Military holdup? Over a bunch of pickles? I see, and do you believe that I was born yesterday too?" She could be heard saying angrily. "Well, Mister, you better come up a more believable story before you get here or else don't show up for work at all tomorrow!" She exclaimed before she hung up.

Looking up, Rebecca next saw Tina in front of her. "So how was the park?" She asked after she calmed down from her phone conversation a bit.

"Oh, very wonderful." Tina replied. "Kit is certainly an amazing boy."

"He certainly is." Rebecca concurred. She hesitated a bit before saying what she felt that she needed to next. "So . . . where do you want to go from here?"

Tina know exactly where Rebecca was going with her conversation. She also knew that she had to decide on Kit's fate eventually and who better to discuss it with than Rebecca. Mama bear to Mama bear.

"I . . . I don't know what to do at this point. My husband . . . he . . . he's alright, I guess, but I don't know how he would feel about a child coming into our lives now." Tina answered.

"Yes, bringing any child into any situation is sure to create big changes." Rebecca remarked. "And yet he really did change our lives for the better here. He's also doing very well adjusting to his new home and finally making friends at school. And Baloo . . . well, I'm quite surprised but that big oaf is a natural at being a father figure to him. I just hope that your husband . . . " Rebecca stopped herself before she said too much again.

"So . . . so are you saying that I should leave Kit here then?" Tina asked, looking Rebecca straight into the eye.

Rebecca sighed, not knowing what else to say. "It's up to you. You're his mother." she finally replied.

"Okay, well thank you." Tina said, a bit disappointed that Rebecca could not give her a clear answer. "Well, I better be heading out; I'll see you tomorrow when I come to see Kit in the afternoon though."

On the way home, countless thoughts crossed Tina's mind about what to do with Kit. She has also ached about being reunited with her son and taking him back. But Rebecca's words also resonated with her; perhaps the best thing would for him would be to leave him at H4H with Baloo, at least for a while.

She barely got into her apartment, however, when the phone rang. It was Frank and he started informing her that Stanley was involved in some sort of accident and that she needed to come to Vipers right away. Tina quickly called Rebecca to ask if Baloo had come back yet and if there was anyway he could fly her to Vipers tonight. As it turned out, Baloo just came back and could fly Tina to Vipers first thing in the morning. Thus, they left early next morning, just before Kit even woke up.


	4. The Final Choice

Early the next morning, Tina rushed to her husband's room at the Las Vipers Memorial Hospital as fast as she could. In front of the room, she could see a cobra physician with two young, female garter snake nurses on either side of him. "Doctor! Doctor! Is my husband alright?"

"Oh, are you Mrsssssss. Ssssssssteele?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I am." Tina quickly answered.

"Mrsssssss. Ssssssssteele, your hussssssssband issssssss fine, but he wasssss involved in a nasssssssty elevator inccccccident." The cobra said. As it turned out Stanley was riding the elevator from the hotel casino back to his room when one of the cables snapped and the elevator crashed all the way down.

"But he's okay? He can still fight tomorrow?"

"Fight? No, he can't fight. He broke both his legsssssss. It could take weeksssssss, monthsssssss before he can walk. We sssssssstill don't know if he can ever walk again. I'm sssssso ssssssorry."

Tina simply did not know how to react to the news. If only she accompanied Stanley from the beginning of the trip, perhaps this would not have happened. "May I see my husband?" she finally asked.

"Of courssssssse." The doctor responded. "Right thisssssssss way."

Tina kindly thanked the doctor and went inside the room to see Stanley just laying their sullen and hopeless, despite the rising sun beaming on his bed. She never thought that she would see such a mountain of a bear look so vulnerable.

"So how's your son?" Stanley finally said, staring blankly in the distance.

"What?" Tina asked, totally shocked.

"Ya know! Kit! Your boy!"

"But how did you . . . "

"I'm not as dumb as ya think, dollface. I saw ya talking to him back in that office and I figured it out when you wanted to stay there. Just a shame that ya didn't tell me, didn't take him with us."

"But . . . but I thought you didn't want kids." Tina remarked.

"Dat's right. I ain't crazy about kids." Stanley replied. "But I'm crazy about ya and I woulda accepted him as my own cuz he's yours. How could ya not know that?" He then continued, looking into his wife's eyes. It was then that Tina realized that she was wrong about Stanley. That he really did love her and she misjudged him all this time.

"Don't matter now though. Not like I can take care of either of ya now. Heck, dunno if I can take care of myself!" Stanley added and then struggled to turn his massive upper body on his side away from the window to the best of his ability at that point. "Shut the shades and close the door behind ya, will ya, Babe? I just wanna go back to sleep."

As soon as Tina left the room, she knew what she had to do. Stanley needed her now and try as she might, she may not have the time and resources needed to help a young boy adjust to his new life while also caring for a rehabilitating husband. Rebecca's words rang true with her more than ever. She decided that the ultimate act of love would be to leave Kit again, knowing that he was in good hand where he was. As painful as it was for her, she knew what she had to do.

That afternoon, when Tina presumed that Kit had returned from school, she called the office at H4H. Coincidentally, Kit picked up the phone. "Hello . . . Kit." Tina began nervously.

"Mom! Where are you? Baloo and Miz Cunningham told me you're in Las Vipers! But why didn't you even say goodbye?" Kit answered.

"Oh . . . well, I had to come here to see Stanley before the fight and . . . "

"But you're gonna come back, right?" Kit asked, interrupting his mother.

Tina did not know how to break the news. Knowing that Kit had a good heart, she knew that Kit would offer to come to Vipers and help with Stanley, but she didn't want him to do that. She just couldn't allow herself to let the boy take on such a burden; not now, not when his life was finally going so well. Tina therefore knew that she certainly could not tell Kit the truth.

"Kit, I don't know if Stanley would want . . . "

"That big brute! You don't need him, Mom! I'll take care of you now." Kit quickly responded.

Tina's eyes started swelling up with tears. "I'm sorry, Kit. I'm sorry. I hope to come back someday, I do. But just not now. I'm sorry."

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry, son. I love you." Tina said before she finally hung up. She really did hope to return and see him some day, perhaps when Stanley could walk and even fight again. So, although she knew that giving him again really would be the best option for him for now, she wished upon a star that night that their next reunion would be forever.


End file.
